Daily Learning Target

I can write with pictures and words to describe my playing commitment. (W.K.2)

I can participate in conversations with my classmates about our play and our materials. (SL.K.1)

Ongoing Assessment

Use the Formative Assessment sheet in the Assessment Overview and Resources for this unit to track students’ progress toward W.K.2 and SL.K.1. Focus on students who have yet to demonstrate progress toward these standards.

During Work Time B, circulate and observe students individually writing and drawing about their personal playing commitment.

Collect students’ work from Work Time B and assess their writing and drawing samples for progress toward W.K.2. Use this information to inform instruction on writing in upcoming units.

Agenda

Agenda

Teaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Building Vocabulary: “Play Today” Poem (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Shared Reading: Playing Commitments and Letter to the Principal (10 minutes)

This lesson is the final one in the unit and asks students to reflect on what they have learned about sharing and playing together and to set a personal goal regarding playing commitments. Students celebrate all they have learned and share this learning with the principal.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

This lesson builds on the structured discussion and role-play about playing commitments from Lesson 6.

Down the road:

Students’ writing and drawing about a personal playing commitment can be revisited throughout the remainder of the module. Consider displaying the Commitments for Playing Together anchor chart and students’ personal playing commitments in a prominent place in the classroom for easy viewing and access.

In Advance

Designate student seats and tables and set up writing materials for Work Time C.

Review students’ conversation partners.

Prepare the Teacher Model of My Playing Commitment response sheet.

Consider inviting the principal to attend the sharing and celebrating portion during the Closing so students can read the Letter to the Principal to him or her as a class.

Post: Learning targets, Commitments for Playing Together anchor chart, Conversation Partners chart, and Letter to the Principal.

Tech and Multimedia

Consider using an interactive whiteboard or document camera to display lesson materials.

Opening A: If you recorded students reading the “Play Today” poem yesterday, play this recording for them to join in with.

Work Time B: Video record students as they have their conversations to listen to with students later to discuss strengths and what they could improve on or to use as models for the group. Most devices (cell phones, tablets, laptop computers) come equipped with free video recording apps or software.

Work Time C: Students use drawing apps or software to draw their response, for example Kids Doodle plug-in for Google or app for Apple products.

Closing and Assessment A: Record students as they have their conversations to listen to with students later to discuss strengths and what they could improve on or to use as models for the group. Most devices (cell phones, tablets, laptop computers) come equipped with free video recording apps or software.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards K.I.A.1 and K.I.C.10

Important points in the lesson itself

The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by providing the opportunity to celebrate and share their hard work throughout the unit. Commend students for their hard work, especially because they completed all of their work in English!

Working independently with the concept of commitment may be challenging and may feel abstract for ELLs. Review the meaning of commitment and remind students that they are making a promise about playing well with other children.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

During Work Time C, if students seem stuck by the writing and drawing assignment, remind them that they are already experts. Recall a photograph or action that they saw or experienced to assist them in accessing their deep knowledge of the content.

For heavier support:

Consider displaying the Teacher Model of My Playing Commitment student response paper at the beginning of this lesson instead of during Work Time C. This will provide students with an example of a commitment and frame the entire lesson’s content using the product they are working toward. Example: “Today we are going to make commitments. They are like promises. Here is a drawing I made of my play commitment. My play commitment is ‘include others.’ So I drew myself at the art center. I drew myself inviting two of my tablemates to join me at the art center. I am saying, ‘Will you please come to the art center with me?’”

Universal Design for Learning

Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): This lesson places heavy emphasis on reflection. For students who may need additional support reflecting on their learning across the entire unit, display photos that represent key moments from each lesson and invite children to retell the story of their learning about toys and play.

Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): Students will have a range of fine motor abilities and writing needs. Before students begin independent writing, vary methods for fine motor responses by offering options for drawing utensils, writing tools, and scaffolds.

Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): In this lesson, students are invited to draw and label their pictures. As they begin labeling, some students may become anxious or frustrated if they do not know spell a word. Facilitate personal coping skills by modeling how to utilize classroom resources to help with spelling during writing.

Opening

Remind them that they are becoming play experts and have been doing a lot of playing, reading, writing, drawing, and thinking about sharing materials and playing together.

Explain that they will reread the “Play Today” poem as a reminder of ways to play together.

Read aloud the “Play Today” poem while tracking the print with a pointer, inviting students to join you as you read.

Tell students they will now stand up and read the poem aloud again, using actions they have practiced in previous lessons. Invite them to join you as you begin reading and acting.

Before reading the “Play Today” poem, activate background knowledge by previewing the question you will ask. Example: “What are some actions we can do while reading this poem that show what the poem is saying?” (MMR)

Before reading the poem as a group, provide differentiated mentors by strategically seating students who feel more comfortable reciting aloud with physical motions near students who may not feel as comfortable. (MMAE)

Work Time

Work Time

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Shared Reading: Commitments for Playing Together and Letter to the Principal (10 minutes)

Display the Commitments for Playing Together anchor chart.

Remind students that in Lesson 6, they read and discussed commitments for playing together and wrote a letter to the principal about all that they have learned as play experts.

Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

“What does commitment mean? Why are our playing commitments important?” (A commitment is something you promise to follow all the time. Playing commitments are important for taking care of one another and the class materials as we work and play together.)

If productive, cue students to clarify the conversation by confirming what they mean:

“So, do you mean _____?” (Responses will vary.)

Read aloud the Commitments for Playing Together anchor chart while tracking the print.

Remind students that, as a class, they wrote a letter back to the principal about their commitments for playing together. Explain that today they will enhance the letter by adding pictures of their personal playing commitment that they brainstormed with a partner at the close of Lesson 6.

Read aloud the Letter to the Principal. Invite students to follow along while tracking the print.

For ELLs: Rephrase the question “Why are our playing commitments important?” Tell students that when something is important, it means we should care very much about it. “Why do we care about our playing commitments? Why is it helpful to agree to share and use kind words?”

As you review the Commitments for Playing Together anchor chart, clarify vocabulary by reminding students of examples of other kinds of commitments. Example: “When I signed up to play soccer this fall, I made a commitment to play soccer with my team.” (MMR)

B. Small Group Practice: Playing Commitments Role Play (10 minutes)

Tell students that they are going to show their play expertise by acting out one of the play commitments.

Say: “In the previous lesson, you chose one of the play commitments that you wanted to work on for the rest of the year. Today, you and your conversation partner will share with each other what those personal play commitments are. Then you will practice them by acting out how you will follow that play commitment with your partner. Then we’ll share all this knowledge with the principal by making drawings of these commitments to include in our letter.”

Invite students to stand next to their conversation partner and review the Conversation Partners chart as necessary.

After students have found their partner, invite Partner A to share his or her personal play commitment and act it out.

Circulate and listen for students to describe actions and words related to their chosen play commitment.

Invite Partner B to share his or her personal play commitment and act it out.

Circulate and listen for students to describe actions and words related to their chosen play commitment.

After each student has shared, invite students to return to their seats arm-in-arm with their partners.

For ELLs: Since students created their practice drawings on white boards, they might not remember the commitment they chose in Lesson 6. Check to make sure all students remember their commitments and that they are able to verbalize them in English. If some students have forgotten their commitments, help them remember or choose a new one.

Monitor the kinds of ideas students are sharing. Are they on topic? Note students who may need additional support and connect with them during Work Time C.

Partner A should be a more advanced proficiency or native English speaker, unless Partner A is a confident, enthusiastic beginning ELL.

Direct students’ attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:

“I can write with pictures and words to describe my playing commitment.”

Draw students’ attention to the word describe.

Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

“If our learning target says we are going to use pictures and words to describe our playing commitments, what does it mean you are going to do?” (To describe something means to use a lot of details, so we are going to use a lot of details to make our playing commitments clear.)

Tell students that they will be drawing pictures and adding words/labels of their personal playing commitment. Explain that once they have completed the pictures, they will add them to the class letter to the principal to show how they are becoming play experts.

Show students the Teacher Model of My Playing Commitment student response sheet. Say: “My play commitment is to include others. So I drew myself at the art center. I drew myself inviting two of my tablemates to join me at the art center. I am saying, ‘Will you please come to the art center with me?’”

Add labels to the model and say: “I added the word art because I used the label at the art center to help me spell it. I also added the word play; it’s on the Word Wall, so I can spell it correctly.”

Remind students that the Toys and Play Word Wall is another resource they can use when completing their drawing.

Point out to students the My Playing Commitment student response sheets have been left on their tables. Tell them they should use the response paper to draw themselves following their personal playing commitment.

Circulate as students complete their drawings. Direct them toward resources in the room (labels, Word Wall, anchor charts) to assist with spelling.

For ELLs: After displaying the Teacher Model of My Playing Commitment student response paper, briefly create and think aloud a new response paper on the board as an interactive class writing. Call on students to help label the drawing using the resources in the room. This will provide students with a concrete experience before independent work.

Before students begin independent writing, maximize transfer and generalization by providing individual checklists with words and pictures that include:

As you model drawing and labeling a personal commitment, facilitate personal coping skills by demonstrating how to use classroom resources to help with spelling. Example: “Oh no. I want to label my picture with the word play, but I do not know how to spell it. What can I? I know! I can ask a friend to help me find play on the Word Wall.” (MME)

Closing & Assessments

Closing

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Sharing and Celebrating: Pair Share (10 minutes)

Gather students whole group.

Invite students to bring their drawings and writings with them. Have them sit knee-to-knee with their conversation partner so they can share their work.

Direct students to the second learning target:

"I can participate in conversations with my classmates about our play and our materials."

Remind students that they have practiced this target many times, so today they should work hard to make their conversations the best yet!

Invite Partner B to share his or her work first. Encourage students to use a sentence starter while sharing. Example: “My playing commitment is______. My drawing shows______.”

Invite Partner A to share his or her work.

Observe and note students’ ideas and thoughts as they share with their partner.

After several minutes, bring the class together and direct students’ attention to the Letter to the Principal. Invite a few pairs to share their work. As they share, add their response paper to the letter. Remind those students who did not get a chance to share that their pictures will be added before the letter is given to the principal.

Read aloud the Letter to the Principal, asking students to read with you. Track the print so students can follow along.

Invite the principal, if in attendance, to share a few remarks in response to the letter and in recognition of the students’ hard work.

Give students specific positive feedback on their hard work becoming knowledgeable play experts!

For ELLs: Beginning students may have trouble verbalizing their work. Help them identify key elements of their drawing and allow them to repeat words and phrases. Example: If a student drew him or herself sharing markers, point to the drawing of markers and say, “Share markers.” Encourage the student to repeat the phrase.

Before students share with their partners, optimize choice by inviting students to suggest potential responses for sharing. Example: “I like the detail you included in your drawing” or “I like the way you labeled your picture.” (MME)

Assessment

Each unit in the K-2 Language Arts Curriculum has one standards-based assessment built in. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.